Flirt
by CommonKnowledge
Summary: AU RaiKim one shot dedicated to Rairox64. All Kimiko wanted to do was find out what her best friend Clay was up to. How did she end up holding hands with the school's biggest flirt, aka Raimundo Pedrosa, and spilling one of her greatest secrets to him?


I felt the need to do a one shot- why you ask when I should be updating "Into the Rush" or getting ahead on the still unnamed "Ever the Same" sequel? Well the truth is I shouldn't even be writing since I leave for Japan in about a month and my visa hasn't even gone through left- not to mention cementing a place to live. sobs

So yeah, really random one shot at this the result of insomnia and pure frustration. I'd been working on another one shot that I may post eventually but I got the end of that one (a long one around twenty pages) and I realized….I hate this story. Why did I figure that out on page one?

Oh well, you win some and you loose some.

This story is dedicated to Rairox64 for being a super great supporter, reviewer, and fan. I'm always touched by the messages and reviews I get from her and she even dedicated a wonderfully written one shot to me.

So I hope that you especially enjoy this!!!

PS- this is a really odd AU that might get confusing, I apologize in advance.

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"You have no shame," Kimiko said dryly studying him from across the table as he openly checked out every girl that walked by.

"Just taking in the scenery," Rai said with a grin. Kimiko rolled her eyes and even though she was wearing sunglasses Rai could seem to tell she'd done it.

"Don't roll your eyes at me Kimiko," he mock scolded as he wagged a finger at her. "You're the one who's making me waste my Saturday doing something I really have no desire to do."

"You owe me," Kimiko told him.

"You keep saying that but you've yet to tell me why," Rai said leaning back in the patio chair of the tiny snack shop they were sitting outside of.

"You know what you did," Kimiko answered taking a sip of her lemonade.

"No I don't," Rai insisted and Kimiko smiled.

"Exactly."

"What?" Rai asked confused.

"There he is," Kimiko said ignoring Rai's last comment. Rai turned to where Kimiko was looking and she hissed at him. "Don't look right at him." Rai sighed and did as he was told; only glancing out of the corner of his eye as his friend Clay walked by. Clay didn't seem to notice the two as he continued on down along the seaside boardwalk of their small California town.

"Are you ready to give this up?" Rai asked Kimiko.

"No!" Kimiko snapped at him and stood, pushing her chair back. "Now come on," she urged him, "let's follow him."

"You do realize how stupid this is?" Rai asked though he followed obediently.

"He's up to something and I want to know what," Kimiko said following behind Clay, keeping him in sight but making sure she wasn't seen. Rai followed behind, making no attempt to hide his presence and wondered how he'd let Kimiko talk him into this. He'd met Kimiko only a year and a half before when she'd transferred into the town's lone high school. Or probably, more correctly, she'd transferred back. Kimiko had grown up in the ocean side town before moving back to Japan toward the end of the sixth grade, around the time that Raimundo had moved in but the two had never crossed paths. Oddly enough, though they were about as odd a couple as could be, Clay and Kimiko had grown up as best friends and neighbors and when Kimiko moved back that friendship had resumed.

Raimundo and Clay had become friends when Raimundo had started school late in the sixth grade and so when Kimiko and Clay became joined at the hips once more a friendship between him and Kimiko had developed. Despite this Raimundo wasn't really sure what to call their relationship. They were friends, that was a given, but Kimiko was careful to keep everyone, minus Clay at some sort of distance. So Raimundo had been surprised when Kimiko had approached him at school a few days before and all but commanded him to join her on her mission to spy on Clay. He spotted a few girls he knew from school and grinned as they walked to the beach in their bathing suites.

"He's going into a bookstore," Kimiko said stopping and ducking behind a fruit stand a few stores down from the building Clay had walked into. "Why would Clay go into a bookstore?" she asked. "Well outside the obvious, but why? What do you think Rai? Rai?" Kimiko looked over her shoulder and scowled when she saw him making eyes at a few beach bunnies who were giggling in his direction. Turning Kimiko snapped her fingers in front of Raimundo's face to gain his attention. "Focus," she told him and turned back to continue to watch for Clay.

"You need to be careful," Rai told her watching her watch for Clay. "Someone might think you're jealous," he grinned and Kimiko let out an unladylike snort.

"I don't think that's a problem we need to worry about," Kimiko assured him ignoring glares from the stand owner who didn't seem amused by Kimiko's hovering.

"You seem awfully concerned with who I'm looking at," Rai said trying to get under skin.

"Because you should be focusing. Clay's been acting funny for a few weeks now and I want to know what's going on."

"You could come right out and ask him," Rai suggested. When Kimiko didn't respond he went on. "And anyway you only seem concerned when I'm appreciating the beauty of the female body." Kimiko sent him an evil glare.

"I guess I should let you know that I've made it my mission in life to save as many girls from you and your 'Casanova' ways as I possibly can," Kimiko told him. "Alright," Kimiko said in a determined voice, "he came out but he didn't buy anything."

"Kimiko," Rai groaned when she made to follow him again, "this manhunt is getting little old."

"We've only been at this for like an hour," Kimiko told him, "now quit complaining."

"Try close to three hours Kimiko," Rai corrected, "and I'm baking out here."

"No one is making you stay," Kimiko told him before grabbing his arm and dragging him along, "now come on. We'll loose sight of him." Rai didn't protest and allowed her to steer him where she wanted. They continued following Clay as he made more, seemingly random stops and Kimiko's curiostity continued to grow. Rai stayed silent for the most part, making an observation every so often about how annoying and pointless the whole thing was.

Finally, sometime around three, Clay made his way back to his car parked in the boardwalk parking lot and drove off. Kimiko was about to steal Raimundo's keys to follow him but Rai put his foot down.

"No," he told her as he physically pulled her from the parking lot, "this has gone on long enough."

"But we still have no idea what is going with Clay," Kimiko protested. "Don't you want to know why he's been acting so weird and secretive lately?"

"No, I don't," Rai told her. "And anyway it's all in your head Kimiko. Clay hasn't been acting strange lately."

"Yes he has," Kimiko insisted, "I know he has. You just aren't looking hard enough. Guys never do." Rai just shook his head and continued on until they were back on the wooden boardwalk that ran along the beach.

"Come on," Rai told her, "I'm starving."

"I bought you lunch," Kimiko told Raimundo her eyes narrowing with annoyance.

"You bought me a soft pretzel and I require more food than that to function," he said as his eyes searched for an appropriate place to eat.

"I got you a snow cone too," Kimiko pouted.

"And that's like what- ice and syrup. Come on," he urged and grabbed her hand to tow her along, "It'll be my treat." Kimiko sighed and resigned her fate as Rai pulled her into a dimly lit and wonderfully cold casual restaurant. "You like Italian?" Rai asked looking over to her.

"Sure," Kimiko whispered looking away. Rai noticed this and looked more closely at her.

"You ok? Too much sun? Come to think of it you haven't eaten anything today have you? You're feeling ok?" Rai asked.

"I'm fine," Kimiko insisted through gritted teeth.

"Then what's your problem?" Rai asked her leaning even closer.

"Hand," Kimiko managed to hiss out.

"What?" Rai asked her not hearing what she said clearly.

"Your hand," Kimiko repeated as her face started to glow. "You're holding my hand."

"Oh?" Rai said looking down at their joined hands. "So I am," he shrugged and pulled her along when the hostess came to show them to their table. The restaurant was virtually empty except for a few late lunchers but they all appeared to be done or nearly done with their meals.

"I've never been in here before," Kimiko said sliding into the booth across from Raimundo, "is it any good."

"Really good," Rai answered, "I've come here a bunch of times."

"On dates?" Kimiko asked in a teasing voice.

"Maybe," Rai said shifting in his seat as he looked out of the window.

"You must have dated every girl in the high school," Kimiko said shaking her head and looking over the menu opened in from of her.

"Not all of them," Rai shrugged and Kimiko laughed.

"It must get exhausting," she said resting her chin in her hand as she continued to study the menu.

"Just how many girls do you think I've dated?" Rai asked her suddenly realizing that they'd rarely had one on one talks like this even though they'd known each other for more than a year.

"Well," Kimiko sighed looking back at him, "you did have a reputation when I moved back. And I've heard all about it from other girls."

"I think people are exaggerating," Rai said locking eyes with her.

"You don't deny it," Kimiko observed surprised by the intensity of his eyes.

"Well then I'll deny it right now," he said simply. "I may be a flirt but I'm not some sort of, I don't know, man whore." Kimiko blinked in surprised and then started laughing. After another moment Rai started to laugh as well and by the time the two were done Kimiko's sides were hurting and she had to wipe tear from the corner of her eye. After that conversation became lighter and the two were able to talk easier. Normally if they were alone their talks were shallow but somehow now things were easier and for the first time Rai felt he was actually getting to know the real Kimiko. They ate their meals slowly, too occupied with their talking to take time to eat and by the time they actually left the restaurant the dinner crowd was coming in.

"We were in there for nearly two hours," Kimiko said stretching her arms over her head and looking back at Rai as she spoke. "Thanks for the meal. I didn't even realize I was that hungry." She turned to look at him as he studied the water, turning a rosy color as the sun began to set. Kimiko smiled. "That's one of the nice things about living on the west coast, beautiful sunsets."

"Hmmm," Rai made an agreeable noise in his throat and then took his eyes off of the water and looked at Kimiko. "Any plans for tonight?" he asked as he walked onto the sand towards the water. Kimiko followed and shrugged.

"Nothing really," she said carefully. "What about you- no date slated in for tonight?"

"Nope," Rai shrugged.

"That's gotta be a first," Kimiko laughed but frowned when he didn't laugh or even crack a smile. "Sorry didn't mean to offend or anything."

"You seem surprised that I don't have a date tonight," Rai looked over at her as they reached the waters edge and began walking along side it.

"I thought you always did," Kimiko shrugged, "if you ever hang out with me and Clay and Omi on the weekends it's usually only one night and since you hung out with Clay last night- which I was rudely excluded from I might add- I know you didn't have a date then." Kimiko suddenly grinned slyly. "Or maybe that was a date."

"Oh haha, very funny," Rai said. "And besides why would I schedule a date for tonight since you pretty much threaten me under pain of death if I didn't help you out today."

"I didn't threaten you," Kimiko mumbled looking embarrassed. Rai recalled how she'd surprised him at his locker a few days before and had told him that whether he liked it or not he was helping her on Saturday and gave no details until he'd picked her up that morning.

"I guess that is open to interpretation," Rai grinned at her but noticed she was looking at the sand with a somewhat cloudy look on her face. "What's up with you?" he asked poking her in the arm.

"Guess there are about a dozen girls very sad about that," Kimiko told him. "And I mean, I must be throwing your schedule off."

"What schedule?" Rai asked confused.

"Don't you have to keep some sort of schedule if you want to date every girl in school before you graduate," Kimiko said trying to sound like she was joking but not succeeding and Raimundo could tell.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not trying to go out with every girl in the school," Rai said slightly frustrated now. They'd been having such a good conversation in the restaurant and now she was turning back to the fact that Rai had a reputation as a playboy. Kimiko suddenly picked up the pace and reached one of the pillars of the beach's lone pier before he did. She turned and leaned against it and faced him, Rai stopping a few feet away and watched her curiously.

"You can at least admit that you do flirt with a lot of girls," Kimiko said raising her eyes to meet him before looking away out under the pier watched the tide roll in.

"Maybe," Rai reluctantly agreed and looked down to watch the water nearly reach where she stood but Kimiko seemed unconcerned.

"I think every single girl in our year, even some with boy friends, have crushes on you," Kimiko went on.

"Why are you going on about this?" Rai asked stepping closer and Kimiko stepped away, moving to the side of the pillar and then behind it, the ocean rolling in to soak sneakers. Rai stopped on the other side of the pillar and glanced around at her but she was already moving away, deeper beneath the pier and more into the water. "Careful," Rai cautioned knowing that the tide beneath the pier was strong. Kimiko didn't respond and found a new leg of the pier to lean up against. She mumbled something that Raimundo couldn't understand and he stepped around the pillar he was next to and leaned against it, making him closer but not approaching her. "What was that?" Rai asked her to repeat.

"You've never flirted with me," Kimiko repeated looking down as the water swirling around her feet gained height.

"I," was all that Rai managed out before trying again. "Of course I don't flirt with you," he told her but immediately realized that was the wrong thing to say. "Not that I haven't want to as certain points in time, not that I didn't think about it," Rai tried to validate but was failing miserably.

"Thanks a lot Rai," Kimiko said narrowing her eyes at him.

"Kimiko don't take it like that," Rai protested stepping closer and once again Kimiko stepped back, the water now swirling near her knees, soaking the jean capris she wore. Rai stopped walking towards her studied her. "Kimiko, I mean, come on," Rai went on. "You're Kimiko."

"And what does that mean?" Kimiko asked folding her hands behind her back and looking at him as Rai bit back a groan, wondering where this had all come from.

"You're my friend, you're Clay's best friend," Rai tried to explain. "It's just, it was just never really an option."

"And if I hadn't been Clay's friend? If I'd just been some random girl, would you have flirted with me then?" Kimiko asked but before Raimundo could answer she was pitched forward by a particularly large wave and would have gone down if Raimundo hadn't moved fast enough and caught her before she tumbled over. Rai was able to maintain his balance as she fell against him, her cheek to his chest, his arms hooking her hers, and Kimiko's arms going around him for support.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she tried to right herself but Raimundo kept her close for reasons she didn't want to understand. She didn't want his pity, but it felt nice to be like this. "We've met before, you know that?" she told him out of the blue and Rai's head jerked back in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Rai asked looking down at her.

"Right when I first moved back," Kimiko explained and pulled away from him and walked back to dry sand. "I was walking on the beach and I sat down on a bench. I was feeling pretty rotten and out of nowhere you came and sat down next to me and asked why I was looking so sad. I didn't think I wanted to talk to you but you stuck around anyway. And I ended up just gushing everything you. About how I didn't want to move and my mother and my father. It was the first time I said anything to anyone about my mother's death outside of the norm, not even my best friend back in Tokyo." Kimiko turned back to face him and looked close to tears. "And then the next day," she went on, "when I started back at school. You didn't even recognize me. I waited for you to say anything but you never did.

So I let it go and I thought I was ok with being your friend. I thought that maybe you might catch on eventually but you never did. It was hard to do since I thought I'd gotten pretty lucky by meeting up with you again. But you only ever treated me as 'one of the guys' or Clay's friend. Did you ever even consider me a friend?"

"Of course I did," Rai said angrily, "how could you ever have thought we weren't friends."

"You avoid being alone with me," Kimiko said glancing away, "and its not like we're even that close. I'm just Clay's childhood friend to you. And I'm ok with that. I just thought you should know for some reason. But now I'm feeling pretty stupid about the whole thing. Sorry about all of this." She turned away from him and started to jog off.

"Kimiko wait!" Rai called after but she didn't stop. Instead she turned to yell over her shoulder as she went.

"Thanks for your help today!" Rai was frozen where she'd left him, the water rising ever higher every moment he stood there. He probably would have remained there but his cell phone rang and brought him out of his stupor.

"Hello?" he asked stepping out of the water and up the beach.

"Hey Rai," Clay said from the other end. "How's it going?"

"Been better," Rai admitted.

"Things not so good with Kimiko?" Clay asked worried.

"She ran off a second ago but I think she's going home," Rai told him.

"Ran off? Is everything ok? And how is she getting home? I thought you drove her?" Clay asked.

"She's probably taking a taxi or something and I don't know if she's ok," Rai said honestly, "I've got to run home first and then I'm going to check at her house. But better keep an eye out for her just incase."

"Sounds good," Clay agreed, "I guess I'll see you in a bit."

"If all goes according to plan," Rai agreed before hanging up and climbing into the driver's seat of his car hoping that he'd be able to find what he was looking for when he got home.

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A little over an hour later the sun had completely set and the headlights of Raimundo's car illuminated the front of Kimiko's house as he pulled in the driveway. Everything seemed dark but Rai wasn't surprised. Despite the fact that it was only Kimiko and her father in the house it was at least twice as big of the one Rai shared with his large family. But Raimundo also knew that many times it was only Kimiko alone in the big empty house. Kimiko had never come out and told him, well apparently besides that time he didn't know it was her on the bench, but Raimundo knew that since her mother's death Kimiko's father had grown more and more involved with his work. They still had a loving and healthy relationship but that was only when he was there. He'd become addicted to work and apparently Kimiko had told Clay that she thought it was because she looked so much like her mother.

Walking up to the door Raimundo knocked and got no answer. After trying the doorbell as well and getting no response Rai tested the door handle and found it unlocked. Slipping inside Rai glanced around and made sure there was nothing scary or threatening on the other side and proceeded to look around.

"Hello?" Rai called but got no response. "Anybody home?" he tried again. Getting annoyed Rai tried another tactic. "Oye! Girl! Where are you!" When silence was his only answer Rai decided to dare going upstairs where he knew Kimiko's room was but he'd never ventured. Truthfully, Rai realized, this was actually his first time in Kimiko's house. She'd always come outside to meet the boys or would meet up wherever they had decided to hang out.

"Kimiko?" Rai called as he entered the hallway off the stairs and heard muffled music coming from a room toward the end of the hall. "Come on Princess," Rai yelled her most hated nickname as he approached, "I know you're in there so come on out." Still Kimiko refused to answer but Rai was undeterred. He knocked on the door loudly. "Come on Kim, open up," Rai practically pleaded through the wood. He knew it was Kimiko's thanks to the door tag advertising her name for the world to see.

"Alright," he warned, "you better be decent cause I'm coming." After taking a breath for courage Rai turned the knob and peered inside. There was no Kimiko in sight but Rai knew that she was in there and after a second glance he noticed her on the other side of canopy bed sitting on the floor with her back to him.

"Hey," Rai said walking into the room toward her, "earth to Kimiko?" He came around the corner of the bed and could barely see her thanks to the oversized stuffed animal she had hugged to her body and the hair down around her face. She didn't seem to notice him as he came closer and saw the source of the music thanks to a tiny ipod stereo near her feet.

"You're looking particularly emo tonight," Rai said coming to stand in front of her. "But you might want to switch your oversized stuffed duck with something harder. Music's pretty good though. Is that Breaking Benjamin?" Kimiko's only response, after glaring, was to bury her face into the stuffed animal in her lap. "Come on," he urged crouching down next to her and extending a hand, "let's go."

"Go where?" Kimiko asked pulling her face out of the stuffed duck.

"It's a surprise," Rai grinned and Kimiko shook her head no.

"I'm good here thanks," she told him. "And don't take it personally but I'd rather be alone."

"And leave you to wallow for whatever reason?" Rai asked. "I don't think so."

"Come on Rai, I'm humiliated enough at the moment," Kimiko pleaded, "can you just leave me alone?"

"But then what kind of friend would I be?"

"A good one if you left me alone," Kimiko snapped back.

"Come on Kim," Rai said standing straight. "Put on something cute and come out with me."

"No."

"Kimiko, you love to dress up all cute, and you do it so well." Kimiko rolled her eyes at this.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Kimiko warned him.

"It will get me everywhere," Rai assured her, "and its not just flattery. It's the truth, so please come with me."

"No Raimundo," Kimiko said firmly. "I don't want to go anywhere tonight." Rai gave a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably.

"Would I be able to persuade you to come out if it wasn't with me?" Rai tried.

"Drop it Rai," Kimiko told him. "How'd you get in here anyway?"

"You left he door unlocked," Rai told her and Kimiko flinched as she get her stuffed animal aside, folding her legs cross legged in front of her.

"That's no good is it?" Kimiko asked and Rai shook his head and sat in front of her. Kimiko looked away pointedly.

"What?" Rai asked.

"What do you think?" Kimiko said looking back at him with a blush on her cheeks. "The last person I want to be talking to right now is you."

"Why?" Rai asked keeping his face expressionless and Kimiko glared at him.

"You're cruel," Kimiko told him.

"I'm confused."

"You're annoying.  
"I prefer adorable," Rai smirked.

"And incorrigible," Kimiko added.

"This playful banter could go on forever," Rai sighed, "and then we'd be late."

"For what?" Kimiko asked.

"What I have planned," Rai told her. Kimiko suppressed a groan and glared at him once more.

"I'm not going anywhere," Kimiko said firmly looking away again so Rai tried another tactic.

"Why am I cruel?" he asked softly.

"Come again?" Kimiko asked looking at him.

"You said I was cruel before. Why?"

"Because you're here," Kimiko trailed off.

"And?" Rai asked leaning forward.

"Isn't that enough?" Kimiko whispered. "I was having a perfectly nice day with you and then I have to go and make a complete fool of myself."

"You didn't make a fool out of yourself Kimiko," Rai assured her. Kimiko just bit her lip and looked at her hands folded in her lap. Silently Rai reached for the handled brown paper bag he'd carried up with him. Reaching inside he pulled out a random item and held it in front of her. Kimiko glanced up and looked surprised as well as confused. Finally she tentatively reached out for it and Rai let her take it.

"Is this?" Kimiko asked turning the red scrunchie over in her hands. Rai made an agreeable noise in his throat and looked slightly embarrassed as well. "Where did you get this? I mean, I know where you got it, but you kept it?" Kimiko asked surprised.

"I don't know," Rai shrugged, "a token or something, an excuse to look for you and talk to you if I ever saw you again." He shifted his seat and looked at her dead in the eyes. "You were blonde that day," he told her, "you can't really blame me for not recognizing you again."

"But you've seen me with dyed hair before," Kimiko told him.

"Yeah," Rai told her, "but never with a full dye job and never with blond. If you went blond again or even wore your hair in that style again I think I'd recognize you from that day." Kimiko scoffed but Rai nodded his head firmly.

"I remember you from that day," Rai assured her and Kimiko blushed again. "I remember seeing you and thinking you were beautiful and thinking that you if you were this beautiful when you were sad then what did you look like when you smiled? So I went to talk to you and try to get you to smile."

"I don't know what to say," Kimiko whispered looking back down at the hair tie he'd handed over to her. She'd lost this very scrunchie that had tied her bleach blond hair back the day she'd met Raimundo. And now to find out he'd kept it for the last eighteen months, Kimiko didn't know what to think.

"The next day," Rai went on, "when you showed up at school I thought you were familiar. I wanted to talk to you but you went straight over to Clay. And when I found out you were Kimiko, _the_ Kimiko that Clay was always talking about. I just didn't know what to do."

"Why?" Kimiko asked but Raimundo ignored that question.

"I was worried about you, the blond you, after I couldn't find you again. So I looked around for you, asked around but no one seemed to know anything about you and after a while, when nothing turned up I thought maybe you were just a tourist. But I still worried."

"I just unloaded on you that day," Kimiko said softly, "it must have freaked you out. I'm sorry. I never thought I'd see you again, otherwise I wouldn't have said a thing."

"I can understand," Rai told her recalling that day. He remember the girl he now knew was Kimiko telling him how her mother had finally subcome to breast cancer a year before and her father suddenly growing so distant and insisted they move to California in an attempt to start over but in a familiar setting.

They'd both talked that day, probably more intimately then two strangers should, but both need someone to talk to and fate had handed them some help.

"Why," Kimiko repeated, "did you not know what to do with me once you found out I'd been Clay's friend growing up?" Rai gave a tiny smile.

"You were legendary," Rai told her enjoying the way her cheeks lit up. "Clay talked about you a lot. And," Rai paused, "he liked you."

"What?" Kimiko asked surprised.

"Well," Rai told her, "he never really came right out and said it but I could guess it."

"Clay and I have never," Kimiko started to say but Rai broke in.

"I know that but I didn't want to risk anything that might occur between you and him, if it ever did develop into everything," Rai said grimly.

"I never knew," Kimiko said softly.

"And I probably shouldn't have told you," Rai replied, "but Clay mentioned something about liking you back when I first met you and I remembered it when you came back. Also," he looked at the floor as he finished his last bit, "I was scared senseless of you."

"What?" Kimiko asked surprised.

"And I still am frankly," Rai told her truthfully cupping his chin in his hand as he rested an elbow on his knee. "It turned out it was a lot easier for you to be a friend than anything else."

"I don't get it," Kimiko shook her head confused.

"You've got half of the guys in the school too dumbfounded by you to do anything and the other half that actually do try you don't even seem to notice," Rai told her almost glumly. "What kind of a chance did I have with you? It would be a lot easier to be your friend than to chance humiliation by crashing and burning by going after you. Even after I found out there was nothing between you and Clay. So that," Rai sighed and sat up straight, "is why I never flirted with you."

Kimiko was silent, only able to stare back as his eyes bore into her. Finally, after a few minutes of his intense look Kimiko had to look away. Suddenly Rai shifted and Kimiko looked back up to find Rai reaching for her, his hands cupping her face as he placed a chaste, quick kiss on her lips before letting her go. He smiled as he stood and picked up the bag on the floor.

"I'm giving you a half an hour to get ready," Rai told her, "I'll be waiting downstairs."

"But where are we going?" Kimiko asked as he left, flying high enough to forget the fact that she'd been so adamant about staying in only a half an hour before.

"Like I told you," Rai replied as he shut the door behind him, "it's a surprise."

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Forty-five minutes later Kimiko came some what tentatively down the stairs to where Raimundo was sitting waiting on her living room couch.

"I thought I said half an hour?" he asked grinning as he took in her outfit, a simple black skirt and pink halter top that glittered even in the limited light of the living room.

"I was ready half an hour ago," Kimiko told him holding her hands behind her back. "I need fifteen more minutes to work enough courage to come downstairs."

"Why?" Rai asked standing up.

"Because I'm about to let you lead me to some unknown place for God knows what reason and," Rai cut he off by holding up a hand.

"I let you drag me all around town today and did I complain?" Rai asked her as he placed a hand on her lower back to urge her forward. "Now come on we're late."

"Yes you complained a lot andI did not drag you around town all day today. It was just the boardwalk and you knew where we were going and what we were doing," Kimiko argued as she stopped to lock the door behind her.

"Where's you sense of adventure?" Rai asked her as he opened the car door to let her slide in.

"Wherever my common sense is hiding," Kimiko told him when he climbed into the driver's side. "What's in the bag?" she asked as she watched him set it in the back seat.

"Part of the surprise," Rai grinned as he turned over the engine and backed out of the driveway.

"You're starting to scare me with that grin," Kimiko told him. A bit of silence developed between the two that had Kimiko shifting uncomfortably until Raimundo reached over and grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze that somehow calmed her nerves.

"We need to stop by Clay's first," Rai told her as he turned down Clay's street, that had also been Kimiko's when she was younger, before she moved back to Japan with her mother and father. "Wait here," Rai told her after and pulled into the driveway of Clay's ranch style house, "I'll run in and be right back."

"But," Kimiko protested but Raimundo was already gone, slipping into Clay's house without bothering to knock. Kimiko waited, nervously, fiddling with the buttons on the radio to calm herself but not succeeding. She looked up at the sound of the door opening and saw Rai looking somewhat frustrated.

"This is going to take a few minutes," he told her reaching in to shut off the car, "you might want to come in and wait."

"Can you just tell me what's going on," Kimiko pleaded as she stepped out of the car.

"It's a surprise," Rai repeated and grabbed her hand again.

"You keep saying that," Kimiko groaned as they made their way up to the house. "And what's with the hand holding thing today?" she asked blowing at a few loose strands of hair.

"Now that I can I want to do it a lot," Rai told her stopping outside the door.

"Do what?" Kimiko asked concerned.

"Flirt with you," Rai told her with a surprised sort of laugh, "isn't that what you wanted?"

"Um," Kimiko mumbled unable to respond.

"Well you asked for and now you're going to get it tenfold," Rai told her clearly enjoying her discomfort at the attention that he was giving her. "Now come on," he urged her through the door. Kimiko was about to protest again but Rai had already physically shoved her through the door into a darken room that exploded with light as soon as she was fully in it.

"Surprise!" the cry went up all around Kimiko scaring her enough to make her jump back.

"What the hell?" she asked looking around at the room full of school friends all grinning and calling happy birthday as streamers and balloons were thrown through the air.

"I told you it was a surprise," Rai whispered in her ear from behind.

"I didn't think you meant literally!" Kimiko cried out looking back at him. "My birthday isn't for another week and a half."

"So then it was a good surprise," Rai smiled at her. "And," he added in a whisper, "now that we get the party out of the way I can take you out on your real birthday, no problem." A blush blossomed on Kimiko's cheeks as Rai grinned and pushed her further into the room where her friends were waiting.

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"So the only reason you agreed to follow Clay around with me today is because you knew he was going to lead me on a wild goose chase?" Kimiko asked later in the night as Raimundo drove her home from Clay's.

"Yeah," he grinned sheepishly. "I had to tip Clay off not to do any shopping for the party." Kimiko just shook her head.

"I was also told that this was originally your idea," she said shooting him a glance and Rai grinned while blushing slightly.

"That would also be true," he told her and glanced over at her before looking back at the road. "You seemed a bit down lately," he told her, "I thought you were due for some cheering up."

"Well thanks," Kimiko said sincerely as he slowed near her house. Kimiko couldn't lie and say she wasn't a bit disappointed that the day was coming to an end. During the party she hadn't seen much of Raimundo unless he walked by and would pointedly brush the back of her neck or quickly squeeze her hand. As the car pulled to a stop Kimiko turned to say goodnight but Rai was already out of the car.

"Is your father home?" he asked when Kimiko came to the other side of the car.

"Probably still in the office," Kimiko shrugged.

"Wow, he's, umm, dedicated," Rai told her.

"That's a polite way of putting it," Kimiko told him.

"Are you ok home alone?" Rai asked concerned.

"I am," she smiled at him, "I'll remember to put on the security system this time so I don't get any unwanted visitors." She narrowed her eyes in a good natured way towards the end of the sentence.

"Hey your door was open," Rai protested, "so I'm only guilty of entering."

"I'm not accusing or anything," Kimiko assured him as they walked to her front door. "Thanks for a really good night," she told him as they reached the front door.

"It's not over yet," Rai told her and Kimiko raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Not a whole lot but here," Rai said handing over the brown bag from earlier, "happy birthday."

"Thank you Raimundo," Kimiko told him accepting the bag, "but you didn't really have to."

"It's just a little tuck in," Rai shrugged watching her extract the box of chocolate covered strawberries he knew she loved and waved off the large thank you she gave him. "I'll give you your real present on your real birthday." Kimiko smiled as she remembered him telling her privately right at the start of the party that he wanted to take her out on her actual birthday.

"I look forward to it," Kimiko told him with a grin. "Well, thanks again, and goodnight," she went to walk in her house but Rai caught her.

"You think you're getting off that easy?" he asked grinning at her mischievously and before Kimiko could protest at all he kissed her firmly on the mouth and was more than pleased when she kissed back.

"Thanks Rai," Kimiko smiled when the kiss finished. Rai smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight Kimiko," he told her before kissing her again.

"That's not really flirting," Kimiko told him. "You seem to be pretty confident that you can just kiss me without having to work for it."

"Don't worry Kimiko," he promised with a grin, "I'm plenty ready to make up for lost time."

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So not my best work but certainly not my worst. This came to me at like four o'clock in the morning out of nowhere, honestly I have no idea where the idea for this story came from. Usually I work off of a song, a holiday, something, anything but this I purely pulled from thin air.

So please review!! If all goes according to plan (and my annoying family doesn't get in the way) "Into the Rush" should be updated on Monday. I'm having a lot of trouble with making up a riddle for this one….oi, I need a vacation.


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